Shut Down The Butterfly Guard With These Details By Travis Stevens

Butterfly Guard Passing by Travis Stevens

Who is Travis Stevens? He made history by being the third male judoka from the USA to win a silver medal at the Olympic Games.  Travis also holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under the legendary John Danaher and Renzo Gracie. It is an understatement to say that he is accomplished in both Judo and Jiu Jitsu.

Travis was born February 28, 1986 and is a lifelong grappler. He began training Judo at the age of 6.  He competed in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics in the men's half-middleweight (-81 kg) division. On August 9, 2016, Stevens made history by being the third American male judoka to win a silver medal in the Olympics. His other grappling accomplishments include the following: 2^nd place at the 2016: Grand Prix Havana. 3^rd place at the 2015: Pan American Senior Championships , 1st place at the 2015: Pan American Games Toronto, 3^rd place at the 2015: Pan American Senior Championships, 7^th place at the 2015: Grand Prix Dusseldorf, 2^nd place at the 2014: Grand Prix Zagreb, 1rst place at the Pan American Open Miami, 5^th place at the  Grand Slam Tyumen, 2^nd place at the  Grand Prix Havana,  3^rd place at the Pan American Championships Guayaquil, 2^nd place at the  Grand Prix Tbilisi, 1rst place at the Grand Prix Dusseldorf,  5^th place at the 2013: Grand Slam Tokyo, 7^th place at the  Grand Prix Abu Dhabi, 1rst place at the Grand Prix Tashkent, 3^rd place at the Pan American Championships San Jose , 1rst place at the Pan American Open Montevideo, 2^nd place in Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro ,3^rd place in  Grand Prix Abu Dhabi, 1rst place in World Cup Tashkent, 2^nd place in  Grand Slam Moscow , 2^nd place in Pan American Championships Guadalajara, 1rst place Grand Prix Dusseldorf,5^th place in World Cup Budapest and 5^th place in Masters Baku.

Travis Stevens has simple concepts that he applies to his throws, take downs and guard passing. His approach is simple, and makes him one of the best grapplers ever.

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Stevens is an excellent teacher. On January 12, 2013 he opened FUJI Gym in Wakefield, Massachusetts.  He spends the majority of his time teaching there. He also teaches at Renzo Gracie Fort Lee in New Jersey. When he is not teaching, he regularly trains at Renzo Gracie Academy in New York City. Another testament to his ability as an instructor is the fact that his instructional videos for BJJ Fanatics are hugely successful.

In this video Travis Stevens explores some key concepts around the butterfly guard. He starts the video by stating the butterfly guard is a dangerous position because of the myriad of attacks available. Stevens states that one crucial measure of defense is not to allow space between our butt and our heels. Once this space occurs we are susceptible to a wide range of attacks. He notes another important detail that we should also keep our elbows tight.  Next Travis discusses how he likes to pass the butterfly guard. He is a fan of a quick pass.  To pass, Travis will take a cross grip on the mid sole of his opponent’s foot. Notice how he is not simply grabbing the foot.  Instead he is posting all of his weight on the foot.  Next he will use his other hand to post on their knee and walk around his training partner.  Stevens spends some time on the next important detail. Often this pass will be countered by your opponent swimming their other leg in.  There are a many options to deal with this second leg but they all have one thing in common;all the strategies work because they bring your opponent’s knees together. Sprawling is one example of this. Travis shows how he can sprawl then pass in the opposite direction. Weaving is another example of passing by bringing your training partner’s knees together. Thank you Travis. What an excellent way to pass the butterfly guard.

This video is a wonderful example of Travis’s ability to communicate technique to even novice grapplers.  Like all of Stevens’ instructional videos, there is a lot of detail. I know that I often gain new insights every time I re-watch one of his videos. Travis Stevens’ instructional videos have a powerful impact on anyone who makes a careful study of them. Certainly, the Jiu Jitsu community is lucky to have him.

Travis Stevens is a John Danaher black belt and Olympic medalist in judo with the ability to break complex techniques down into simple, clear instruction. His new series Magic Guard Passing is going to shave years of frustration off  and add some magic to your passing game.  You can get it here at BJJ Fanatics!

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